Ronaldo is facing the opportunity to rematch Messi in Saudi Arabia.
4 months have passed after Messi and the PSG team went to Saudi Arabia to face the Riyadh All-Stars (the squad that gathered stars in the Saudi Pro League). At that time, the competition between the two created a fever in the world football village. Currently, the possibility of Messi moving completely to the Middle East to play and compete with Ronaldo is increasingly grounded.
Historical contract
Two years of love between Messi and PSG is about to end in bitterness. Now, M10 has the opportunity to become a historic contract in the Saudi Arabia tournament if it accepts to join Al Hilal. Telegraph reported that the Saudi government said it was ready to pay Messi the highest salary in the world (400 million euros per year) if he came to play in the SPL (Saudi Pro League). This offer is double what his colleague Ronaldo is receiving at Al Nassr.
Al Hilal, the team that holds the national championship record (18 times), is said to be the next destination of the M10. This is not the first time Al Hilal has expressed interest in recruiting M10. The ambition to welcome the former Barcelona star to the competition was rekindled a few months ago.
When Messi arrived in the capital Riyadh (Saudi Arabia) for a friendly earlier this year, more than 70,000 tickets to King Fahd Stadium to watch the match were sold out. This shows the strong attraction of the 2022 World Cup champion. Many Saudis expect that the match between PSG and Riyadh All Stars is not the last time they see M10 play in this Middle Eastern country. Accepting to become a tourism ambassador in Saudi Arabia helps the Argentine superstar become more attached to this country.
Leaders of Saudi football see Messi as the perfect deal to elevate the national championship. In January, when Ronaldo had just joined Al Nassr, Saudi Sports Minister Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Faisal said: “The government will support the remaining teams of the tournament (SPL – PV) to bring back the titles. international stars as soon as possible”.
Football financial expert Neil Joyce once predicted that: “If a Saudi club can convince Ronaldo, other big names like Toni Kroos or Luka Modric can completely follow.”
There have been obvious changes in the SPL to help Saudi Arabia’s football industry attract more stars like Messi to play. At the end of January, ESPN reported that the SPL organizers planned to increase the number of foreign soldiers to more than 8 in the near future after the success of the Ronaldo deal. The copyright of the SPL is also requested by many European countries such as Portugal, Italy, France, Greece, Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
The number of spectators coming to the stadium to watch games this season at the SPL has almost doubled thanks to Ronaldo’s presence. On social media, discussions between girls or women about the tournament increased by 237%. Messi is expected to have an even greater effect if he comes to this country to play football.
Messi vs Ronaldo in Saudi Arabia is an attractive scenario. Photo: Times.
Perfect ending
When Ronaldo left Real Madrid in 2018, fans talked about Messi’s loneliness. After nearly a golden decade, La Liga lost its charm and competitiveness from that time. Without the M10 and CR7, the faces that replaced both at El Clasico became disproportionate.
Before a friendly match in Riyadh earlier this year, the last time the two met was in December 2020 in the Champions League group stage. It was a confrontation where CR7 scored twice and helped Juventus beat Barca 3-0.
The battle between Messi and Ronaldo is the dream competition of any football manager, event organizer and sponsor. It could come at a time when Saudi football wants to use its money to raise its profile in the world. None other than Ronaldo and Messi is the most appropriate choice. Although both are over 35, the reputation and status of CR7 and M10 are still very solid. The rematch in Saudi Arabia will be the perfect end to the final chapter of both of their careers.
With Al Hilal, Messi’s contract will be like a response to rival Al Nassr. The most successful team in Saudi Arabia does not want to be inferior to an opponent who is less than 9 domestic titles. The presence of M10 also sets the stage for the landing of other stars in Saudi Arabia in the future.
Duy Luan | 16:00 04/05/2023
